Australia faces Palestine vote in the United Nations Security Council

Daniel Flitton

Australia's final days on the United Nations Security Council will be spent grappling with a Palestinian bid to impose an international peace plan to end the decades-long conflict with Israel.

The Abbott government is yet to make a decision on whether to support a draft resolution, submitted to the council last week, calling for a democratic Israel and newly created Palestine to "live side by side in peace" within two years.

The vote will be hotly contested, with Israel already promising a diplomatic offensive to stymie what it sees as a "gimmick".

"We are under a lot of pressure from a lot of parties to postpone this resolution," said Izzat Abdulhadi, the Palestinian representative in Canberra.

The proposed resolution would set a 2017 deadline for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza – 50 years after first occupying the territories – and calls for a "third party" to guarantee security and prevent a resurgence of terrorism.

Palestinians see the turn to the Security Council as a necessary jump-start for stalled peace talks, while Israel and supporters fear it merely attempts to isolate and punish Israel.

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"This is yet another example of how the Palestinian Authority is trying to advance a forced settlement on Israel instead of pursuing peace by sitting down to the negotiating table," said a spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in Canberra.

Australia's temporary stint at the world's top table will finish at the end of the month, but it is possible the contentious resolution will be put to a vote beforehand.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs department said Australia will determine its position once a final text is ready for a vote.

The previous Labor government took the same wait-and-see attitude in a General Assembly ballot in 2012, eventually deciding not to oppose recognition of a Palestinian state but to abstain from voting.

But any Security Council resolution would have far greater significance because its rulings are binding on UN members.

Labor is expected to debate a motion at the party's national conference next year to include support for a Palestinian state in its political platform.

There have been mixed signals as to the likely timing of this latest move, with Palestinian officials at first indicating the vote could happen quickly.

But the Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said Jordan, which lodged the resolution on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, had noted substantive negotiation will be needed.

The European parliament this month expressed overwhelming backing "in principle" for a Palestinian state.

Australia's vote will be important should the vote happen in the next week – with the Coalition deciding as recently as this month to side with Israel in other contentious ballots – but most attention will be on the United States.

A delay is also possible until a change of council members in the New Year, with Australia to depart, while New Zealand, Malaysia, Spain and Venezuela will join – countries seen as more likely to back the Palestinians.

The Obama administration has said it cannot support the resolution with a specific deadline for withdrawing Israel's forces, but would not rule out supporting a different resolution.

Close observers are also watching for any sign the exasperation the Obama administration has expressed with Israel in recent months over failed peace talks might lead the US to abstain, rather than wield its veto power on the council.